duck calling

The 2014 Duck and Goose Call Guide contains the most recent makes and models from multiple call makers throughout the nation. The call-making iconic companies like Haydel's, Rich-N-Tone, and Buck Gardner are well represented, along with new companies like Elite, Field Proven and Pacific. Finding the right call is unique to every hunter and shouldn't be taken lightly. The quest to find a new call for the 2014-2015 waterfowl season begins here!

It's not a stretch to compare a duck call to a traditional woodwind instrument such as a saxophone or clarinet. Musicians play these instruments by forcing air through a mouthpiece and across a reed, which vibrates to produce sound. Duck calls work in much the same way.

Ducks Unlimited TV host Field Hudnall has again been recognized as one of the top goose callers in the world. Hudnall out-called 33 other contestants at the World Championship Goose Calling Contest last weekend in Easton, Maryland. This is Hudnall's second title - he also won in 2004.

For only $35, you'll receive member benefits for one year, and as an added bonus, we'll also send you the Green Pearl Duck Call! This unique double-reed call is exclusive for DU members only and available for a limited time.

Waterfowl calls are specific to every species, hunter, and region. This makes finding the perfect duck or goose call a difficult task. The DU Newsletter makes it easier to start your search. Begin with the newest additions to the market – new waterfowl calls for 2013.

Canada geese have an intricate system of vocal communications. "Honkers" make a variety of different calls – long range hail calls, clucks, feeding calls, comeback calls, whines, moans, etc. Each of these calls conveys a different message. Expert callers mimic all these calls and mix them appropriately to entice passing geese to join their decoys.

Puddlers make up the more common decoys on the market today, but as technology advances, so do these decoys. New paint schemes, fully flocked bodies, and motion stakes provide new tweaks to the traditions of waterfowling over blocks.

Legendary outdoor writer Nash Buckingham once said, "A duck call in the hands of the unskilled is one of conservation's greatest assets." The August Gear Guide contains new duck and goose call options for the 2012-2013 waterfowl season. It's the perfect time of year to get a new duck or goose call, and there's still time before opening day to learn how to use it.

There are few sounds that get a waterfowl hunter's heart racing like those of a Canada goose. A single, distant honk is often all it takes to send hunters racing to close blind doors and scrambling to bring a lanyard full of calls to the ready.

Sometimes ducks want a lot of calling; sometimes they want a little. It's up to a caller to determine which the birds prefer on the day he's in the blind, then to offer them just the right amount of calling to coax them in.

Founder of RNT Calls, Butch Richenback, provides a tutorial on how to change speeds within your quacks. Utilizing a cadence and changing it slighty to adapt to different situations will help your duck calling.

Jim Ronquest, RNT-V producer explains that when communicating with ducks, no matter your situation, the location of where you are calling them is the most important aspect. Understanding the basics of calling ducks will improve your success on every hunt.

A flight of ducks shows interest in your decoys, but is still wary. As the birds swing downwind, their body language shows indecision. Some of the ducks seem anxious to decoy. Others want to continue on their way. This is the time for the comeback call.

Jim Ronquest, RNT-V producer, explains that sometimes it's better to quit calling and reach for a jerk string. Putting the emphasis on movement in the decoys, rather than calling, could separate you from everyone else.

John Stephens, president of RNT calls, explains how a duck call's bore size can change the sound of each call. Using more back pressure, created with a smaller bore, callers can create different sounds needed in different hunting situations.

Waterfowl are moving with the cold December winds, and hunters throughout the country are preparing for the winter flights. The DU E-newsletter editorial team has selected four of the most time-tested dabbler hunting tips for you to focus on this season. Remembering these four essentials can help you improve your calling, decoys, concealment and shooting.

When most hunters think of duck calls, they think of mallard calls—and for good reason. Mallards are the most common and most vocal of North America’s ducks, and hunters who can accurately reproduce the raspy quacks of a mallard hen can lure just about any species of dabbling duck into their decoys.

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